Anguish
by Phayte
Summary: Around Mayuka's third bithday, Ryoko is told something she probably didn't want to hear.


"You are by no means everything she needs Tenchi, but right now, you are what she needs. Go to her." Thunder resonated around Tenchi as he heard Washu's obviously tormented voice come from somewhere in the storm. In a flash of lightning, he saw a figure standing next to an edge of a cliff. Her dress billowed around her as she held her crossed arms on her chest. In the next flash of lightning, the figure was gone and Tenchi felt a surge of pain rip through his very being. The strange thing was, it didn't feel like his pain, like it was being transfered to him somehow. Anguish, hurt, betrayal, were only a few of these emotions that contributed to the blinding pain that held him into place, making him unable to move.

Tenchi bolted awake. The dream was so strange, so unreal he almost thought it to be reality. Nowadays, Tenchi had come to accept the rediculously unreal. 'So much for no life on other planets' was a thought that commonly came to his mind often now. He decided a chance look at his clock when he saw the sunlight just barely peeking over the hills that was the countryside of Okayama. Six o'clock the clock read. "Great, a weekend and I can't sleep in cause a stupid nightmare." Even though he didn't think highly of the nightmare, the pain he felt was still very present in the back of his mind.

Somewhere outside, he heard a strange sound, almost like a child laughing. His first instinct was to get up and see what that sound was. No matter how much he tried to kick his curiosity over the past couple of years (seeing as where it got him) Tenchi couldn't help but be curious as to what the laughter was all about, especially at six in the morning. When he reached his balcony, he walked to the edge and looked out over the lake near his house. There, in the peeking sunlight, he saw something he never thought he'd see in his lifetime. Ryoko was flying around with a three-year-old Mayuka in her arms, sometimes tossing her up in the air and agily catching her before she hit the lake surface, with Mayuka laughing the whole time. Tenchi heard Ryoko shout something to Mayuka then dive into the lake, creating barely a splash. A little while later, Ryoko emerged with the toddler still in her arms and they were both laughing. Ryoko phased them dry all the while talking inaudibly to Mayuka. Tenchi watched all the while a smile slowly making it's way to his face. He watched as the two made their landing and their way into the house for breakfast, which Sasami was undoubtedly already making.

Tenchi decided to get dressed and go downstairs and greet everyone before there was a huge argument over who would sit where during breakfast. He actually enjoyed the times he got to wake up early and spend some time with whoever was awake without everything getting thrown into chaos. A plus was he got to see his daughter before he had to go somewhere, or Ryoko took her somewhere. Wait, Ryoko, somewhere along the line, Tenchi had stopped noticing just how much time Ryoko had been spending with Mayuka. A certain memory that parents often don't forget, their child's first word. Tenchi remembered sitting on the couch with her on his lap, everyone was watching a movie with the little child, when suddenly, out-of-the-blue, she shouts "DADDY!" Everyone was thrilled, but Tenchi thought back to that moment, Ryoko didn't seem as happy as she should have been, it almost seemed as if she had been through this once. As a matter of fact, now that he thought about it, Tenchi could remember seeing an almost sad look on her face. He decided to push the thought from his mind as he reached the kitchen. He smiled a hello to everyone at the table. Mayuka jumped from Ryoko's lap and hugged her father. Ryoko smiled then turned to Sasami and asked, "So, when's breakfast?"

"In a little while, you have time to take a bath, don't worry." Sasami smiled and turned back to her canvas previously known as the stove. Ryoko turned back to Tenchi, then it hit her, he's awake, he has been awake, does he know? Sasami's the only person that's supposed to know. She put the paranoia in the back of her mind then phased away to the onsen. After that, the day progressed as normal with Ayeka and Ryoko fighting as normal as they had been with Mayuka's reappearance. Tenchi made especially careful to observe Ryoko and Mayuka, and infact, they had been spending incredible amounts of time with eachother. It was then that Tenchi thought that somethings were going on in Mayuka's life that he hadn't know about, like her first word. Something told him that 'daddy' wasn't her first word. Now, it dawned on him that despite all the time they spent together, Mayuka never called Ryoko 'momma' or anything of the sort. It seemed like she took special care not to call Ryoko 'momma'. Ryoko also seemed more mellowed out as of late. "Something's gonna happen, I can feel it."

Around dinner time, Washu came out with a very sullen face. Everyone with the exception of Ryoko turned and gaped at the now adult form of 'Little' Washu. She cleared her throat to get her daughter's attention. Ryoko turned to her with an annoyed look on her face that challenged Washu to explain herself.

She took the dare, "I need to talk to you." Her voice was small, almost tormented. Tenchi recalled the very sound from his dream, which was still vivid in his mind.

Ryoko sighed but got up and followed her into her lab. Tenchi was lost in watching them, wondering what could upset Washu so much that she'd use her adult form. A flash of lightning and crash of unusually loud thunder. His dream flashed across his mind. Everyone got up and went to the hallway next to the stairs to try to listen to the conversation inside the closet/lab. Suddenly, Ryoko burst out of the lab screaming "NO, GET AWAY FROM ME! LEAVE ME ALONE, I DON'T EVEN KNOW YOU ANYMORE, JUST STAY OUT OF MY LIFE!" Without even realizing, Ryoko blasted a hole in the door and ran out in the ferocious storm raging outside. Everyone was taken aback. Washu megerly stepped out of the lab, tears cascading down her face. Tenchi was about to inquire when Washu handed him a picture. It showed Washu holding a baby with short cyan hair and laughing yellow eyes. The one thing that caught his eye was the man standing next to the pair. His white hair and yellow eyes were unmistakable. It Kagato.

"Her father." Was the only thing Washu said, unemotionally. Upon seeing the picture and hearing what Washu said, Ayeka hearded everyone out of the room. Tenchi stood motionless, this was all too much at one time, how could this man, was he even a man? How could he be her father? After he did all those things to her? No real father did that to their children, but in the picture, he looked happy. Tenchi's anger escalated, without regard, he tore the picture in half. Washu smiled then went sullen, "Please find her, don't let her do anything, she's all I have left."  
"But, I can't be what she needs right now." Tenchi's anger subsided for a minute as he thought over the task ahead of him.

"Please Tenchi, I know you are by no means everything she needs Tenchi, but right now, you are what she needs. Go to her. For me."

His dream came back to him once again. He found a new confidence well up inside him, and then the rain came. Pouring in buckets. Lightning flashed and thunder clapped. Tenchi had to find her now. He ran outside in search of her, following his dream, 'A cliff, wait, I know where that is!' Tenchi ran as fast as he could.

Upon reaching it, he saw the figure of Ryoko standing at the cliff's edge, just looking, letting the storm express her feelings. Tenchi called out to her. Somehow he heard her voice above the rain and thunder. "Go away, no one wants me, I'm useless remember?"  
"Ryoko I know you're hurt."

Suddenly she spun on him and screamed, "YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW I FEEL. I SAID LEAVE ME!"  
A flash of lightning and Tenchi felt the pain again. But it was not his own. His world suddenly slowed way down as he saw a bright flash and Ryoko fall.

"RYOKO!!!!" On first imulse, he ran to her side. Without second thought, he picked her body off the ground and sprinted faster than he had ever in his life back to the house.

An hour later found him pacing in front of the lab, small wonder there wasn't a circle embosed in the floor. Suddenly the floor flew open and Tenchi shot literally two feet in the air. "You can see her now." Washu's quote earlier was still repeating in his mind. 'You are by no means everything she needs Tenchi, but right now, you are what she needs.' He started to walk in but a thought crossed his mind. He ran upstairs and woke up his daughter and carried her downstairs. "What's wrong with R'ko daddy?"

Tears welled in his eyes, "She's sick and she wants to see you."

Mayuka's eyes reflected the smile that Ryoko wanted to see her. They entered and saw a very weak looking Ryoko laying on a hosptial bed. She smiled weakly and spoke hoarsly, "I got hit by lightning, it hurt like when he..." Tenchi cut her off. "It's time to put that behind you." He said with a deep caring in his voice as he set Mayuka in a chair next to her bed.  
"Why did you come for me. No one needs me." She turns her head away from the two.

This time Mayuka spoke, a child's innocent sadness in her voice, "But, Mommy, I need you."

Ryoko turned sharply to her, then tears welled in her eyes.  
"And I need you too. Don't ever leave me like that. I'm sorry you had to find out."

"But he's my father, he said I was..."

Tenchi cut her off again, "He's not your father, no matter what genetics says. No father would ever do that, any who does has no right calling them a dad."

Ryoko smiled, "I'm needed, I'm loved. I forgive my mother." Washu, who was standing in the shadows, welled with happy tears this time.

Tenchi brushed a stray hair from her face, the leaned over and kissed her softly on the lips. Mayuka squealed as Ryoko blushed profusely. Tenchi smiled, "I need you my love." It then dawned on Tenchi that Mayuka's first word was mommy, Ryoko and Mayuka were in the same boat, and when it came Mayuka's turn to know her past, Ryoko would be her mother, and be there for her every step of the way.

On a small radio on a table next to Ryoko's bed, there was an American song playing called Angle, by Sara McLachlan. Spend all your time waiting, for that second chance  
For the break that'll make it ok  
There's always some reason, to feel not good enough  
And it's hard at the end of the day  
I need some distraction,  
Oh, beautiful release, memory seeps from my veins  
Let me be empty, oh weightless and maybe  
I'll find some peaace tonight  
  
Chorus:  
In the arms of an angel, fly away from here  
from this dark cold hotel room  
And the endlessness that you fear  
Your are pulled from the wreckage, of your silent reverie  
You're in the arms of the angel,  
May you find some comfort here  
  
So tired of the straight line  
And everywhere you turn,  
There's vultures and thieves at your back  
The storm keeps on twistin, you keep on building the lies  
That you make up for all that you lack  
It don't make no difference, escaping one last time  
It's easier to believe  
In this sweet madness, oh, this glorious sadness  
That brings me to my knees  
  
Chorus  
  
You're in the arms of the angel  
May you find some comfort here.

* * *

A/N: Ok, I don't own Tenchi Muyo or anything like that. I also don't own Angel by Sara McLachlan, love the song but don't own it.


End file.
